Effective Teaching

There are many things that make up an effective teacher. Teachers need to:

• Respect, listen to, show empathy, and help their students
• Students need to know you care. By listening to them and showing them in multiple ways that you are there for them will help build your relationship with them.
• Create warm and supportive classrooms
• This doesn't necessarily mean a decorative classroom, it is also about how you treat your students and your expectations of how they treat each other.
• Develop awareness of different cultures
• Your whole job is to expand your students knowledge, and that includes their knowledge of the world and other cultures. It is so important to bring in any cultures that your students may personally have experience with. This will help them feel like they are part of the class and give any other students an opportunity to learn more about them.
• Work and interact directly with students
• Students do need to learn independence and to do some things on their own, but teachers should also need to have a presence in the student's learning. Working with the students and doing projects with them shows the students that you are an active participant in the class as well.
• Be enthusiastic about learning
• Your attitude about a subject is easily passed onto the students. It is so important to believe in what you are teaching and be passionate about each thing you teach, even if you have to fake it. Being excited to teach something will get the students excited to learn it.
• Discuss the importance of reflection
• It is important to reflect on your work as a teacher. Notice what went well and what did not, and with each individual student. Also, teach your students the importance of reflection on their own work and teach them to always be improving on themselves.
• Establish classroom routines
• Students need to know how to act during different lessons and situations in the classroom. Setting up routines for them such as when to sharpen pencils and when they can ask to use the restroom will help to keep the classroom running smoothly and without too many interruptions. Students will also be able to be independent and not have to come to you every for every question.